Ben Holden Driver Warriss (29 May 1909 – 14 January 1993) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

comedian and the first cousin of fellow comedy actor

Jimmy Jewel James Arthur Thomas Jewel Marsh (4 December 1909 – 3 December 1995),Gifford, Denni''The Independent'', 5 December 1995. Note: This obituary wrongly gives the year of birth as 1912, which is contradicted by the Ben Warriss obituary. Retrie ...

. Allegedly the two cousins were born in the same bed (at different times) and brought up in the same household at 52 Andover Street,

Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire and ...

. He was the son of Benjamin Holden Joseph Warriss, an insurance company inspector, and his wife, Mary Ann, née Driver, Jewel's mother's sister. He first performed on the stage in 1930. Jimmy Jewel and Ben Warriss came together as professionals in 1934 at the Palace Theatre, Newcastle.Gifford, Dennis
Obituary: Ben Warriss
''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publishe ...

'', 18 January 1993 Their double act achieved seven

Royal Variety Performance The ''Royal Variety Performance'' is a televised variety show held annually in the United Kingdom to raise money for the Royal Variety Charity (of which King Charles III is life-patron). It is attended by senior members of the British royal ...

s, 12

Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, between the Ribble and Wyre rivers, and is ...

summer seasons, a successful radio series (''Up the Pole'') and a film of the series. Around 1966, the two went their separate ways, with Warriss performing on stage and Jewel moving into television. Warriss was a member of the

Grand Order of Water Rats The Grand Order of Water Rats is a British entertainment industry fraternity and charitable organisation based in London. Founded in 1889 by the music hall comedians Joe Elvin and Jack Lotto, the order is known for its high-profile membersh ...

serving as "King Rat" for a year, 1953 and then again, for two consecutive years, 1961–1962. In the 1970s Warriss was the resident compere at the Cala Gran club in

Fleetwood Fleetwood is a coastal town in the Borough of Wyre in Lancashire, England, at the northwest corner of the Fylde. It had a population of 25,939 at the 2011 census. Fleetwood acquired its modern character in the 1830s, when the principal land ...

, Lancashire. In 1988 he played the Emperor of China in the first of the newly reopened Hackney Empire pantomimes, ''Aladdin''. He was still performing in pantomime in his eighties. The character Parker from the 1960s TV series of Thunderbirds is said to have been based upon Warriss's appearance. His first wife, whom he married on 22 September 1934, was Grace Mary Skinner (b. 1910–11), a dancer and teacher of dancing and daughter of Henry Arthur James Skinner, master mariner. This marriage had ended by about 1940 and two years later Warriss married the entertainer Meggie Easton. His third marriage, which took place about 1960, was to Virginia Vernon. He died in 1993 at Brinsworth House, Staines Road, Twickenham, and is buried in the same section of

Streatham Park Cemetery South London Crematorium and Streatham Park Cemetery is a cemetery and crematorium on Rowan Road in Streatham Vale. It has always been privately owned and managed and is now part of the Dignity plc group . The South London Crematorium is situa ...

, London, as comedian

Will Hay William Thomson Hay (6 December 1888 – 18 April 1949) was an English comedian who wrote and acted in a schoolmaster sketch that later transferred to the screen, where he also played other authority figures with comic failings. His film '' ...

References

External links

* 1909 births 1993 deaths English male comedians English male stage actors Music hall performers 20th-century English male actors Burials at Streatham Park Cemetery 20th-century English comedians Male actors from Sheffield Comedians from Yorkshire {{England-actor-stub